The Eve of Our Forever, He Chose Her Chapter 08

The Eve of Our Forever, He Chose Her Chapter 08 The Fall of Everything He Chose

After Ethan got home, he violently threw away everything that had anything to do with Maya.

The jacket she had once left behind.

The stuffed toy she had given him.

The photos they had taken together.

All the things that had once made me furious were shoved into trash bags and dumped outside without mercy.

When Maya rushed over after hearing about it, she broke into tears at the sight.

‘Ethan, what the hell are you doing?” she cried. “Just because Daphne said a few things, you’re really going to throw away everything between us?”

‘Everything between us?” Ethan let out a bitter laugh. “You’re in love with me, aren’t you? Is that what your version of friendship ooks like?”

He pointed toward the door.

‘Maya, get out. Right now.”

A few of their mutual friends tried to step in and calm things down.

‘Come on, Ethan. Maya just got carried away for a minute.

‘Yeah. You’ve known each other for years. Is this really necessary?

‘You should think about this. What you had with Maya goes way further back than anything you had with Daphne.”

Ethan finally exploded.

All the anger he had nowhere else to put-and all the pain of being left behind-came pouring out at once.

‘If you people were really my friends, you never would’ve helped Maya gang up on my girlfriend in the first place!”

He glared at all of them.

‘And if anyone wants to keep defending her, then get the hell out with her.”

The room fell silent.

Watching the friends who used to joke around with him get shut down so completely, Maya suddenly gave up pretending.

Her tears disappeared, replaced by open mockery.

“Ethan, who are you trying to fool right now?

“Weren’t you the one who kept letting me get away with everything?

“Weren’t you the one who stood there and watched while she cried and begged you not to leave?

“Now that you’ve finally driven her away, suddenly you want to act like some heartbroken saint?”

She gave a cold laugh.

“Do you have any shame at all?”

Ethan’s face darkened, but he still shouted back stubbornly.

“Shut up!

“You don’t know anything. Once I cut ties with you, Daphne will understand. She’ll come back to me.”

Maya actually laughed out loud at that.

“Come back?”

She stepped closer, her voice sharp with contempt.

“You think throwing out a few of my things and yelling at your friends is enough to make Daphne look at you again?

“Stop deluding yourself.”

Then, clearly enjoying every second of it, she dropped the real blow.

“She’s leaving the country soon. The paperwork is almost done.

“She has a bright future waiting for her.

“And in that future, Ethan-there is no place for you at all.”

The words hit him like a physical blow.

Ethan stood there in a daze.

His whole face went blank.

“How is that possible?” he muttered.

For the first time, it truly felt as if his world was collapsing.

Later, the documentary wrapped successfully.

At the celebration party, everyone came over to congratulate me.

Everyone except Ethan.

He was already drunk, and when people tried to talk to him, he ignored them completely.

No one expected what happened next.

In the middle of the party, without anyone noticing, Ethan slipped away to the hotel terrace and climbed over the railing.

It wasn’t until a passing server screamed that the rest of us realized what he had done.

When he saw me looking at him, his voice broke.

“Daphne… don’t go.”

I said nothing.

My silence only pushed him further over the edge.

He shouted hoarsely, “You are not going abroad! You are not leaving! Do you hear me?

“Tear up that offer right now! Destroy all the paperwork!

“Or I swear to God, I’ll jump!”

I stared at him, almost unable to believe what I was seeing.

I had never imagined Ethan would go so far as to use his life as a threat.

Thankfully, someone had already called 911.

The sound of approaching sirens grew louder and louder.

Below the terrace, emergency responders rushed to inflate a rescue air cushion, while a crisis negotiator tried to talk Ethan down.

“Mr. Cole, please stay calm,” the negotiator said. “Come back over the railing. We can talk through this.”

“Talk through this?” Ethan shouted back. “How?

“She’s leaving! She doesn’t want me anymore!

“Unless she agrees to stay and tears everything up, there’s nothing to talk about!”

His eyes stayed locked on me, repeating the same threat again and again.

Only when I saw the rescue cushion fully inflated below did I finally speak.

“Ethan, you need to come down.

“Because I am not tearing up my offer.

“And I am not giving up the chance to leave.

“You can’t threaten me into staying.

“Why?” he shouted, completely losing control. “I know I was wrong! Why can’t you forgive me just one more time?

“You weren’t like this before! Before, you were soft-hearted. Before, you always forgave me.”

I looked at him calmly.

“People change.

“I’m just awake now.”

His face twisted.

“But I don’t want you awake!”

As if those words had stabbed him, he suddenly lunged forward, trying to reach for me.

“You were better before, you-”

Before he could finish, his foot slipped.

A chorus of screams tore through the terrace as his body pitched forward and fell.

I stood frozen, watching in horror as Ethan hit the rescue cushion below and lost consciousness.

Even long after it was over, my heart was still pounding from the shock.